News

2013-08-19

ASIA/INDIA - "Day for Justice": the Bishops deplore the arms race

New Delhi (Agenzia Fides) – To re-launch a message of "Social Justice in India" and say "no" to the arms race, rediscovering the encyclical "Pacem in Terris" of Pope John XXIII, 50 years after its publication (1963): is what the Bishops' Conference of India proposed with regards to the "Day for Justice", celebrated yesterday, 18 August, by the Indian Church. As learned by Fides Agency, all the dioceses of India celebrated the Day and the Commission "Justice, Peace and Development" of the Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a message asking the faithful Indians "to inspire each of their action to the fundamental principles that guide the encyclical", which are: truth, justice, love and freedom.
Pacem in Terris "recommends a new spirituality and a culture of peace", says the message sent out by local Churches in India, "starting with the recognition of human dignity and respect for the rights of every person in all human relationships". These principles need to be urgently applied to the context of Indian society, together with those indicating "dialogue to resolve all disputes". The Bishops’ text recalls, in particular, the steps of the encyclical that insist on "the cessation of the arms race", and says: "Such recommendation has a particular significance and relevance in the Indian context: India, in fact, is the largest importer of weapons in the world", and is one of the 24 countries that abstained during the vote of the UN Arms Trade Treaty in April 2013.
The "Day for Justice", now in its 30th edition, is traditionally celebrated on the Sunday after the Independence Day of India (which is on August 15th), and intends to "make people and institutions sensitive to the reality of society and to respond to the demands of justice". (PA) (Agenzia Fides 19/08/2013)